NEW for the ROAD (Jul, 1952)

NEW for the ROAD

Bump-Air invented by Jeff Corydon of Hush Bumpers, Chicago, extends beyond regular guards and takes the shock of minor collisions. It is installed by drilling new holes or by replacing the old metal guards. Made of inflated Plastisol or rubber.

Caddy Pickup Truck carries motorcycles to race tracks. It is made on a 1949 Cadillac chassis and will take three cycles which are anchored in wells in floor. Windows in the rear corners of cab are Plexiglas. It is painted bright red. cost $5,000.
Talking Highways will warn drivers of danger ahead. The panels or sound tracks inserted lengthwise will say audible words such as “crossing” or “soft shoulder” when tires roll over them. Car acts as sound box. Floyd Dofsen of San Francisco.

Garden Trailer, displayed at Motor Show in London, England, proves that a trailer can have the comforts of a home. This unusual model has a roof garden, one end of which is sheltered with awning to protect flowers from wind when driving.

That caddy pickup-truck (or crossover) looks like a reject for a Mortuary Flower Car.

Hirudinea says: January 2, 20123:12 pm

@ Kosher Ham – Oh pishaw, thats what a hillbilly buys when he wins the lottery, well that and a double-wide.

Darren says: January 2, 20125:36 pm

Who is seriously going to go on holidays in their motor home and want to take their flowers and expect them to survive the trip? I don’t see the canvas awning doing much other than being ripped off after the first low bridge.

Nomen Nescio says: January 2, 20125:48 pm

the talking highways never happened. BUT… i’ve heard tales (and they may be urban legends, i have no way to be sure) that something similar was once installed at disneyland. on the small-plane airstrip that once existed there — it’s probably a parking lot, now — the runway apparently had grooves in it that made the landing planes “play” zip-a-dee-doo-dah.

Frankly, I don’t know if mortuaries use flower cars these days, however in the L.A. area there are quite a few hearse clubs that normally have a field day at Knott’s Berry Farm before Halloween. I knew one guy who had a hearse and it was so “over the top” that it was hilarious to see him drive it to church. (Mexican women would cross themselves when they saw the hearse.)

Circa 1978-79, one could buy a Cadillac pickup from the dealer. A third-party upfit, a Coupe DeVille would be gutted aft of the front seat, with a fiberglass bed “tub” with bulkhead and rear window installed, as well as a tailgate.